Peter Baron, founder and team owner of Starworks Motorsport, is the recipient of the 2012 Rolex Bob Snodgrass Award of Excellence. The announcement was made during the traditional prelude to the Rolex 24 at Daytona -- the Grand Marshal Dinner -- which was held at the Daytona 500 Club and attended by 300 guests on Jan. 25.

From a short-list of three highly-successful team owners who competed in the 2012 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, a panel of motorsports professionals selected Baron as the award recipient.

Stewart Wicht, President of Rolex Watch U.S.A., presented Baron with a specially-engraved Rolex Stainless Steel and Platinum Yacht-Master timepiece to commemorate the honor.

Past winners of the award are Bob Stallings (2010) and Joe Sahlen (2011).

“This award goes to a team owner or manager in the Grand-Am series who best represents the qualities my father was known for: that is integrity, his passion for motorsports and his immense love for cars,” said Harris Snodgrass, son of the award's namesake.

Baron's Starworks Motorsport won major races and championships on two continents in 2012. At the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona, his No. 8 Ford Riley started from pole position and missed taking home the win by a only 5.198 seconds, but when his No. 2 Ford Riley took the checker at the inaugural Brickyard Grand Prix, it also secured him the DP class win of the inaugural North American Endurance Championship. Another Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series win came at the Continental Tire 200 in Watkins Glen.

Starworks was first in LMP2 and third overall at the 60th anniversary of the 12 Hours of Sebring. ALMS class victories came at Long Beach, Road America and Baltimore, along with an LMP2 win of the WEC Six Hours of Sao Paulo. The team also won at Le Mans and Petit Le Mans, and became the first-ever recipients of the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 teams.

“I'm proud to be a recipient of this [award] and be recognized by my peers,” said Baron who founded Starworks Motorsport in 2010. “Nothing says passion like a Rolex, and hopefully this will be my first one this weekend.” Referring to the 51st Rolex 24 at Daytona, Baron added: “This race just epitomizes what sports car racing is all about. Twenty-four hours, endurance, emotion and it brings it all… As team owners…we're all here because we have the passion. I never met Bob personally, but his reputation is among the biggest in all motorsport and just to be mentioned in the same context is a complete honor. “